Being Home

     I woke up at 3am recently unable to go back to sleep. I started thinking about my grandchildren. There are sixteen now. As I pondered their lives I was profoundly greatful that they all have a mother at home full time. It is quite a remarkable thing and it is not easy for so many reasons. I wanted to capture them in action surrounded by all the hullabaloo. To these four women I say, "Thank-you for loving my grandchildren enough to be in the trenches every day."

   "Too much of a mama's life goes undocumented and unseen. People, including my children, don't see the way I make sure my kids' favorite stuffed animals are on their beds at night. They don't know how I walk the grocery store aisles looking for treats that will thrill them for a special day. They don't know that I saved their side-snap, paper-thin baby shirts from the hospital where they were born or their little hospital bracelets in keepsake boxes high on the top shelves of their closets. They don't see me tossing and turning in bed wondering if I am doing an okay job as a mother, if they are okay in their schools, where we should take them for a vacation, what we should do for their birthdays. I'm up long past the news on Christmas Eve wrapping presents and eating cookies and milk, and I spend hours hunting the Internet and the local Targets for specially-requested Halloween costumes and birthday presents. They don't see any of that."     From the Huffington Post

      Recent comments from the Moms in my life:

          " My children follow me from room to room talking to me. Talk, talk, talk, all day long."

          "My son wants me to take him to the skateboard park every day. What do I know about skateboarding?"

           "I am trying to do painting for my son because he loves it, despite the potential mess."

             "Sometimes it would be nice to put on heels and a nice dress and go to an important meeting ,but, it doesn't add up to seeing your baby grow and change."

    These are not direct quotes, only approximations.

         

    To my sons and son-in-law who bring home the bacon, your kids may not appreciate your sacrifice now, but someday they will see the value of the stability you created in your home. Go forward, steadfast and with faith.